v8 conversion/haters gonna hate
 

So I just got off the phone with the shop that will be handling it. They are willing to do the swap (permitting I pick up the granny speed shop kit) and I already have the engine and trans in my garage for just 1500 completed and running. Honestly I LOVE having a rotary but being I already have everything but the speed shop kit I can't afford not to drop my engine in that's taking up space in the garage.

So I guess the real question is how difficult is this swap anyways? 1500 a good deal? I was quoted 7500 by one and almost hung up.

And to those who will suggest i'll screw up my weight distribution I don't drift so I feel it won't be too bad.

That's for third gen, completely different game it seems.

Well try the v8 powered section, or the camaro forum....

I keep my racecar at a shop that is currently engaged in an LS3 swap into an 3 Series BMW. I estimate that the labor cost for this conversion to be around $20K when all is said and done. Now this is comparing apples to oranges to a certain extent but allot of the work they have had to do involves using known processes and parts. The point I am trying to make is that ANY custom build will encounter unexpected costs. $1500 for this process is laughable and a pipe dream.

I have been building racecars for around 25yrs. Here is what I have learned:

• There is no such thing as a "bolt on" part.
• All estimated times must be doubled.
• Nothing as is as simple as it seems.
• The Devil lives in the details and most of the build time is consumed by the smallest items
• You ALWAYS get what you pay for
• Going "Cheap" means you will do it twice.

Not hating on your project but you need a reality check.

I'd have to say, if you're getting a shop to do the swap for you and you're quibbling over $1500 for labor, mustanghammer is right: you need a reality check.

If you don't have the skills or the time to do this kind of swap yourself, don't go the lowest bidder simply because they're cheap. When it comes to custom car work like this, you tend to get what you pay for.

^^^^^ thread read fail

sooo true.............. and when doing it on your own plan on spending double the amount of time the shop does because of tools needed, they've done things 20 times, so you'll get it wrong quite a bit. I'm building a 1st gen V8. I'll have between 20-25k in it before it's done. Hell I probably have 10k in it now and it's still on blocks. :)

How is that a thread read fail?? He was spot on.

Here's how

he said it cost 1500 for the engine and trans, he's quibbling over 7500

A boinger in an FB?

It ain't right, no matter what the cost.

The Rotary Gods will avenge.

His post could have used some punctuation or rewording. I'm reading it as $1500 for the labor. He was quoted 7500 from another shop and nearly hung up. Sounds like he already has the engine/trans..

Either way mustanghammer is correct, it's a dream. The $1500 quote is assuming everything in the granny's kit bolts together 100% and takes care of every aspect of the build - which the kit doesn't. There are always going to be miscellaneous things that eat up time, and for a shop; time = money.

I think you'll find that V8 swapping an Rx7 is not nearly as cheap as everyone likes to make it out to be, no engine swap is.

That's how I read it as well.

Exactly. Custom work isn't cheap and if it's done cheaply you'll only end up paying more later. V8 swaps may be the cheapest way to get to a specific horsepower goal but they're a long way from 'cheap.'

Oh, and Fuhnortoner, don't be a dick.

I could have put a v8 in my rx3.... but that would just be dumb!!!! sell the rx7 and go find some red neck mustang for your v8

Bwahhhhh

+1

why the V8 hate?

sheez......as soon as the piston engines got better head flow they have been more efficient, more powerful and more reliable. I love me some rotary....but been there done that, got the T shirt

boinger??

Pistons. Tey go up an down like boing boing boing....

Im in the process of putting a v8 in my car in the states but couldent finish due to getting stationed in korea for a year so its on hold. I have installed a ford 8.8 did a fc front subframe/suspension swap and bought a v8 motor mount kit and have had one installed and total im still less than 6k in the car. That is granted im doing 100% of the work myself. If you literally just buy the speedshop kit and drop the motor in (not hard) the hard/expensive part ends up in wiring/finishing up stuff. If you build a wiring harness yourself your looking at 150$ if you buy a standalone harness there almost 1000$.

The next problem you are going to run into depending on how much power your v8 is pushing with your rear end/axles breaking hence why i put a ford 8.8 in my car.

LOL That's funny.

I am doing a swap myself. One big reason is that parts availability for the rotary is drying up. To me Mazda did a big FU when they stopped producing 12a housings. I am sure next it will be s4 13b housings ect..
I love the rotarys but I am not going to pay $1,000+ in the near future for somebodys old stash of NOS parts.

You don't really love the rotary or you wouldn't stick a v8 in there.

There are still plenty of parts out there and going V8 simply because of a fear of future parts availability is not a very logical argument. However, it you want to go V8, do it. Just remember it will cost about 3 times as much as you think it will and take four times as long.

These threads always crack me up. There's no logical reason to go one direction or another. For that matter, there's no "logical" reason to have these cars at all in the first place. But we all love them for one reason or another and keep them going.

While I will not be putting a boinger any of my 3 Fb's anytime soon, if the day comes that rotary parts are just too hard to find and it's between turning the shell into yard art or putting a piston engine in and continuing to enjoy driving - I would put the piston engine in.

Anyway, the bottom line, like several here have said, is that it never costs as "cheap" as you first think. If a shop is only charging $1500 for labor, they are either bad at giving estimates, or planning to do half assed work.

One thing guys - he didn't come on here with the usual v8 swap attitude saying "OMG rotaries are sux" or some similar nonsense, so please be nice to him. No need to flame him :)